Draft NWR Transmitter Maintenance Services- Alabama .docx.pdf

Dr aft

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (DOC)

NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA)

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE (NWS)

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards Transmitter System Maintenance Services and Tower Space

In The State of Alabama

1.0 Introduction

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) network is one of the primary means that the National Weather Service (NWS) disseminates its forecasts and warnings. In Alabama, NWR transmitters are located on Alabama Public TV communications towers. These towers are strategically located geographically to allow the NWS to maximize its network of NWR broadcast coverage throughout a large portion of the state of Alabama. These towers are located mostly in remote areas and provide an additional advantage for both above mean sea level and telecommunication line of sight perspectives. It is estimated that over 95 percent or more of the population of Alabama are within the service area of a NWR transmitter.

2.0 Background

According to The Federal Plan for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research for FY76, published in April 1975, the National Weather Radio (NWR) was designated as the sole government-operated radio alert system to deliver direct warnings into private homes for both natural disasters and Non-Weather Emergency Messages (NWEM), including nuclear attack. This mandate requires uninterrupted transmission capability, operating 24 hours per day and 365 days per year. APT’s NWR service enables the National Weather Service (NWS) to meet these critical goals.

NWR along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) remains a prime entry point in the Emergency Alert System (EAS). An estimated 85 percent of EAS activations are due to weather and this critical function is expected to continue indefinitely. The critical function of the NWR system is to activate the EAS. This is expected to continue indefinitely especially with the FEMA deployment of the All-Hazards Emergency Message Collection System (HazCollect). The HazCollect system will allow emergency management agencies and partners of the NWS to generate NWEMs for automatic distribution through NWS Dissemination Systems.

The APT and NWS have been cooperating together to bring NWR service to the state of Alabama for several decades and have contracted through the Western Acquisition Division for these services with APT for the last 20+ years.The APT’s towers are strategically located geographically to allow the NWS to maximize its network of NWR broadcast coverage throughout a large portion of the state of Alabama.

3.0 Objective

This is a follow-on acquisition to Contract Number 1305M320PNWWP0526 with APTV for continued preventative and unscheduled maintenance services, tower and floor space, commercial and emergency power for the NWR network that serves the state of Alabama. This Performance-Based Work Statement pertains to the transmitter system portion of the NWR network installed at nine APTV sites at Anniston, Demopolis, Dozier, Florence, Huntsville, Louisville, Mobile, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa/Holt.

4.0 Scope

Page - 1

The Contractor shall be required to provide both preventive and unscheduled NWR transmitter maintenance that ensures the quality of NWR broadcasts and the issuance of warnings to the listening public within the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Radio Frequency Authorization (RFA) specifications which can be found in 47 CFR Part 73. The NWS is mandated by the National Response Framework to provide uninterrupted Emergency Alert System (EAS) broadcast transmissions 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

The NWR systems to be maintained at each site consist of a transmitter system, including antenna and transmission line, located at a remote tower site; and a communication link (telephone line, microwave link, UHF link, NWRUP or a combination of these) between two locations. These systems communicate with an audio control console located in a NWS office. The transmitter equipment associated with the APTV transmitter sites were manufactured either by Crown or Armstrong Transmitter Corporation.

The Government reserves the right, with Contractor coordination, to change or enhance the transmitter equipment configuration at a site to accommodate the NWR network and expansion process. Such changes will be accomplished by the issuance of a bilateral modification to this contract.

5.0 Period of Performance

Base Year: September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026 Option 1: September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027 Option 2: September 1, 2027 to August 31, 2028 Option 3: September 1, 2028 to August 31, 2029 Option 4: September 1, 2029 to August 31, 2030

6.0 Requirements

The Contractor shall have complete responsibility for, and shall bear all costs associated with, providing all maintenance and maintenance support services for the equipment listed in Section 9.1.

6.1 Contractor Maintenance Responsibilities - The Contractor shall be responsible for providing all labor needed to maintain the transmitter systems equipment. Replacement parts to replenish those used in the repair of transmitter systems are available from Centuria Corporation 11800 Sunrise Valley Dr. Suite 420, Reston, VA 20191, phone number (703) 435-4600. The Contractor is responsible for ordering the necessary parts needed to complete the repairs. This process is done by contacting Centuria Corporation at the number above. All replaced parts shall be returned to the Government supply depot at the Contractor's expense. The Contractor shall coordinate with the controlling Weather Service Office before performing any routine or corrective maintenance that might cause disruption of the NWR broadcast.

6.2 Routine Maintenance

The Contractor shall perform onsite routine maintenance every 120 calendar days, at a minimum, in accordance with the requirements stated in the transmitter preventative maintenance schedule and performance measurements. The Government reserves the right to periodically modify the "Maintenance Schedule" set forth in the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Manual. In addition, the Contractor is responsible for updating the maintenance data log attached to the transmitters. The Contractor shall submit a log entry according to the report criteria stated in Section 11.1 and 11.2.

After performing routine maintenance, the Contractor shall ensure that the transmitter system is operational and functional at the authorized output power, within required frequency and modulation tolerance, and is in compliance with all technical descriptions and specifications of the OEM manual for the equipment.

Page - 2

The Contractor will make a good faith effort to provide the local NWS office with 24 hours advance notice for routine equipment maintenance visits. When there is a potential for threatening weather, routine maintenance may be delayed at the discretion of the local NWS office.

6.2.1 Routine Remote Monitoring - The Contractor will remotely monitor the transmitters every 30 days to verify that parameters are within specifications. Monitoring is to be done using dial-in software on transmitters and dial in Remote Off Air Monitoring System (ROAMS) for additional transmitter systems as applicable.

6.3 Corrective Maintenance

The Contractor shall perform all corrective maintenance whether discovered by the Contractor while performing routine maintenance or requested through a service call. When responding to a service call for corrective maintenance, the Contractor shall also complete routine maintenance in accordance with Section

6.2 before leaving the transmitter site. Upon completing the maintenance, the Contractor shall test the transmitter system to ensure that the system is operational and functional at authorized output power, within required frequency and modulation tolerance, and in compliance with all technical descriptions and specifications of the OEM manuals for the equipment. The Contractor shall provide a means to guarantee that calls for service and calls to report outages will be answered and responded to 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. At the time of award, the Contractor shall provide a phone number that can be called to request service and report outages.

6.4 System Availability

The NWR transmitter system operates 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-per-year. Maintenance shall be provided so that no Contractor maintained transmitter system will experience site outage in excess of 88 hours per year.

6.4.1 Loss of Operational Capability

A site outage is defined as the loss of the ability to transmit broadcast-quality audio at the required output power. Site outages caused by natural disasters or vandalism shall be corrected as soon as possible. Restoration time shall be coordinated with the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) for those types of outages. Current weather conditions or forecasts for the affected site area will determine the urgency of the restoration. All other site outages shall be corrected so that the Mean Time to Restore (MTTR) per site shall not exceed 12 consecutive hours. The maximum restoration time for any site outage shall not exceed 24 consecutive hours (including nights, weekends and holidays, regardless of Contractor's normal business hours) for all corrective service calls, unless an extended period is granted by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). Any extension request shall be made to the COR within 24 hours of the site outage. The extension may include but will not be limited to, lack of Government Furnished Equipment (GFE), spare parts due to the Government's discretion, requests by the controlling Weather Service Office, or unsafe working conditions. Outage time starts when the Contractor is notified of a problem or when an attempt is made to notify the Contractor through the specified method in Section 6.3 and the Contractor cannot be reached. The outage time ends when: (1) the Government is notified by the contractor that the system is repaired and is available for use, broadcast-quality audio is being transmitted at full authorized output power, and the transmitting system meets all the required technical specifications of the OEM equipment manuals; and (2) the Government monitoring system, as applicable, verifies the quality of the received signal.

6.4.2 Degraded Operational Capability - A transmitter site configured with a dual transmitter is considered in a degraded operational mode if either transmitter is not capable of operating at full authorized power. The Contractor shall perform corrective maintenance on a degraded site as described in Section 6.3. The Contractor shall respond to an operationally degraded site within 48

Page - 3 hours of notice and restore it to full operation within 72 hours of notice. A site outage is considered an emergency and has precedence over a degraded site.

6.4.3 Notification of Outage - The Government will notify the Contractor of an outage as soon as the local office becomes aware. If the Contractor knows of an outage and has not been contacted by the local Weather Service Office, they should let them know immediately. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to obtain approval from the Weather Service Office before performing any routine maintenance that would cause an outage at least 24 hours in advance.

Immediately upon completion of the maintenance service, before leaving the site: (1) the controlling Weather Service Office shall be notified a second time that the transmitter is repaired, available for use, and broadcast-quality audio is again being transmitted at full authorized output power; (2) the transmitting system meets all the required technical specifications for the equipment listed; (3) the repair could not be completed including the actions taken as well as the expected timeline for repair; or, (4) the Government monitoring system, as applicable, verifies the monitored transmitter parameters are within the prescribed limits and the received signal is of good quality. The Contractor shall record an outage, the reason(s) for the outage and the corrective action taken, in the Maintenance Activity Report (Section 11.2).

6.4.4 False Repair Calls (FRC) - The Contractor may expect to receive service calls that are not directly related to a failure of the NWR transmitter system. The Contractor shall notify the TPOC when it has responded to a service call that is subsequently classified as a FRC. The Contractor shall note and document the cause and effect of the NWR transmitter outage in the Maintenance Activity Report.

6.4.5 Annual Signal Strength Measurement. The Contractor shall perform annual signal strength measurements at each Contractor maintained transmitter site to ensure that overall system performance has not deteriorated. The signal strength measurements shall be made at a minimum of four different land locations that are approximately 90 degrees apart and a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 20 statute miles radius from the transmitter site (the Contractor shall use the same locations as used the previous year and each year thereafter for continuity). The time interval between the annual measurements shall be from 9 to 13 months. The Contractor shall ensure it receives previous signal strength reports from the Government for each site to show the annual signal strength measurement locations. A signal strength measurement report shall be provided to the Government (TPOC) within 15 days of the performed measurements. The report shall detail the transmitter site data, antenna data (orientation, height, etc.), and approximate radial distance of each measurement from the transmitter. The measurements at all sites shall be performed using calibrated (traceable to National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST)) test equipment designed to measure RF field strength in the appropriate units and using identical measurement procedures. Reports will be compared to previous reports to determine signal loss over time.

6.4.6 Contractor Performance Monitoring - The Government reserves the right to observe the Contractor’s personnel performing routine and corrective maintenance at any NWR transmitter site to ensure compliance with the terms of the contract. In addition, performance will be monitored using the site visit reports and the monthly status reports.

6.4.7 Other Maintenance Support Services - The Contractor shall maintain the Remote Off Air Monitoring System (ROAMS) and NWRUP if installed at transmitter sites. A complement of ROAMS spare units will be supplied by the Government. Maintenance shall involve the replacement of defective units.

Page - 4

6.5 Invoicing

The Contractor will invoice on a monthly basis in arrears for that month’s fees by the 14th day of the following month. This will be submitted via the federal IPP payment system.

7.0 Contractor Personnel Technical Experience and Qualification Requirements - The Contractor's personnel performing routine and corrective maintenance on the NWR transmitter system shall be technically qualified and have experience in performing maintenance work on radio frequency (RF) VHF FM transmitter systems according to the transmitter manufacturer Preventive Maintenance Schedule and Performance Measurements. These qualifications can be met through appropriate education in electronics and associated theory, as well as specific training and/or education in job related experiences in the maintenance of related type transmitter equipment. The Contractor shall notify the COR in writing of any change in technical field personnel assigned to perform maintenance on the transmitters. The Contractor shall provide the technical qualifications, training and related experience for replacement personnel.

7.1 Certification - The contractor will provide an adequate number of qualified radio technicians to maintain all NWR transmitter systems in accordance with pertinent federal and state regulations.

7.2 Training - NWS agrees that NWR transmitter specific maintenance training for contractor radio technicians will be available. The Contractor shall provide the technical qualifications, training and related experience for replacement personnel and notify the COR of any new training requirements.

8.0 General Information

8.1 Place of Performance – APTV Tower Site Locations in Alabama

Site name Site Location County Power Output (Watts)

Anniston Cheaha Mountain Calhoun 300

Demopolis Demopolis Marengo 1000

Louisville Louisville Barbour 1000

Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery 1000

Tuscaloosa Holt Tuscaloosa 1000

Florence Florence Colbert 1000

Huntsville Monte Sano Mountain Madison 1000

Dozier Dozier Crenshaw 1000

Mobile Spanish Fort Baldwin 1000

8.2 Hours of Work - Site outages caused by natural disasters or vandalism shall be corrected as soon as possible. All other site outages shall be corrected so that the Mean Time to Restore (MTTR) per site shall not exceed 12 consecutive hours. The maximum restoration time for any site outage shall not exceed 24 consecutive hours (including nights, weekends and holidays, regardless of Contractor's normal business hours) for all corrective service calls, unless an extended period is granted by the COR. Any extension request shall be made to the COR via phone or email within 24 hours of the site outage.

8.3 Other Direct Costs - The Contractor shall provide tower space at the heights provided, transmitter floor space, commercial power and emergency power as indicated in the table provided below:

Page - 5

Site name Site Location Antenna Center

Height (Feet AGL)

Transmitter Floor Space

Commercial Power

Emergency Power

Anniston Cheaha Mountain 200 Yes Yes Yes

Demopolis Demopolis 400 Yes Yes Yes

Louisville Louisville 500 Yes Yes Yes

Montgomery Montgomery 200 Yes Yes Yes

Tuscaloosa Holt 350 Yes Yes Yes

Florence Florence 351 Yes Yes Yes

Huntsville Monte Sano Mountain 230 Yes Yes Yes

Dozier Dozier 360 Yes Yes Yes

Mobile Spanish Fort 475 Yes Yes Yes

9.0 Government Furnished Property (GFP) - The Government will furnish as GFP, the replacement parts as stated in procedures listed in Section 6.1 for use in maintaining the equipment. The Contractor shall perform a complete inventory and inspection of all incoming GFP within 60 days after the receipt of each item. If the GFP is received by the Contractor in a condition not suitable for its intended use, the Contractor shall notify the COR within 60 days. Equipment manuals required to perform the services under this contract will be provided initially by the Government. The Contractor shall be responsible for the security of all transferred GFP. At the end of contract performance, the Contractor shall return all Government furnished items to the Government supply depot designated by the COR. The Contractor shall maintain all contractor-owned test equipment used in the performance of this contract. The equipment shall be calibrated in accordance with manufacturer's specifications traceable to the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST).

9.1 Equipment - NWS furnishes the following equipment, materials, and documentation.

a. One (1) dual VHF transmitter (per site).

b. One (1) high gain antenna (per site).

c. All necessary antenna mounts, cable, cable connectors, and other hardware.

d. One (1) ROAMS unit and associated communications equipment.

e. Recurring spare parts (universal fuses and filters).

f. Necessary documentation and maintenance manuals.

g. Electrical service materials (if required)

h. UHF receiver antenna, mounts, cable, cable connectors, and miscellaneous mounting hardware, including interference suppressors where required.

10.0 Services and Supplies to be Provided by the Contractor

10.1 Security - The contractor will be responsible for ensuring that normal security measures are enforced.

The contractor shall notify the COR and local office immediately of any loss or damage to Government -furnished facilities, equipment, and supplies.

10.2 IT Security - Federal law and NOAA policy require anyone who uses NOAA computer resources, including contractors, to participate in at least one web-based NOAA Annual Information Technology Security Awareness training activity.

10.3 Tools and Test Equipment - Contractor furnishes all normal hand tools and test equipment (Comms Analyzers, Watt-meters, Service Monitors, etc.,) used in the maintenance of NWR transmitter systems.

Page - 6

10.4 Transportation - Contractor provides transportation to and from both transmitter and training facilities.

11.0 Deliverable Reports

11.1 Maintenance Activity - The Contractor will document all corrective maintenance activity within 5 business days in the NWR Engineering Management Reporting System (EMRS). The Engineering Management Reporting System is the primary source for field level maintenance data utilized by the NWS.

The information collected by the EMRS is vital to the sustained mission of the NWS. The Contractor shall retain a copy of each report submitted. All data compiled in the performance of this contract becomes the property of the Government.

11.2 Maintenance Activity Reports - The Contractor shall enter a quarterly report in EMRS summarizing maintenance activities on the transmitter system at each location serviced. The following information shall be included in the report: maintenance activity summary; repair call time summary; false repair call summary; non-transmitter related outage hours; transmitter related outage hours; maintenance call type analysis; maintenance action cause analysis; reported/ unreported transmitter repair summary and any additional maintenance activity within 15 days following the end of the previous quarter.

11.3 Contractor Maintained NWR Transmitter Site Data Report - The Government will confirm NWR transmitter site data. The Contractor shall not assume this data to be complete or correct. The Contractor is responsible for verifying the information provided in the Government-furnished report and shall submit all corrections to the COR within 90 calendar days of contract award via email.

Page - 7